Education

12:31 pm

Fri July 13, 2012

The Orleans Parish School Board plans to lay off nearly two dozen employees, largely because of a drop in federal funding for low-income students and those with special needs.

The Times-Picayune reported the list of staff losing their jobs includes four teachers.

Interim Superintendent Stan Smith, who has been warning of a potential budget gap for months, said layoffs would have gone deeper — to more than 30 positions — were it not for some recent resignations.

Education

4:54 pm

Mon July 9, 2012

The president of the University of Louisiana System has announced his retirement.

Randy Moffett, who's been in the job for four years, said Monday that he will leave the position in the fall to spend more time with his family.

Moffett's retirement comes after a tenure marked by repeated budget cuts that have stripped more than $426 million in annual state financing from higher education in Louisiana. The UL System has lost nearly 46 percent of its state funding since 2008.

Medicaid Cuts

12:34 pm

Tue July 3, 2012

BATON ROUGE — Officials at Louisiana's health department are looking for ways to cut $859 million from the state's Medicaid program for the poor and uninsured. It would strip 11 percent of the funding for health services.

Budget Cuts

1:54 pm

Mon May 28, 2012

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Senate's budget-writing committee refused to agree to deep cuts pushed by House Republicans for next year's $25 million state operating budget.

Senators on the Finance Committee restored an estimated $350 million to next year's 2012-13 spending plans. They added back the one-time money removed by a bloc of conservative House Republicans, and they also tapped into available health care financing and plugged in further piecemeal dollars.